Dana Coons was an ACC 10,000m champion at the University of Virginia. Since moving up to the marathon she has posted a 2:38:18 personal best and represented the United States at the 2007 IAAF World Championship in Osaka, Japan.

Boston Athletic Association: How did you first become involved in the sport?

Dana Coons: Growing up with a twin brother, I learned to be competitive at an early age. I distinctly remember one of our camp counselors setting up a 100m race between the two of us and I won, and I took a lot of pride in being able to beat my brother. The rivalry continued through middle school in the gym class mile run. I also began to love the personal satisfaction that came from improving my times from week to week. I ended up going out for the cross country team and have been involved ever since.

B.A.A.: You seem to have always focused on the longer distances, running the 5,000m and 10,000m throughout college. Was moving up to the marathon always a part of your plan?

D.C.: I can’t remember when it became part of the plan, but it certainly was not always part of the plan. It became clear to me in college that I was more competitive at the 10K than the 5K, and it also became apparent that I was a “rhythm” runner and that my strengths were my patience and ability to focus for longer periods of time, not so much my physical speed.